1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a beverage cup lid and, more particularly, to a beverage lid containing a individual serving dose of a beverage to be brewed and to a system and method incorporating such a lid.
2. Description of the Related Art
The drip method for preparing brewed beverages was invented by M. de Belloy in the 1800s. This drip method is, today, still one of the most used traditional methods for brewing beverages, since a soft and aromatic extraction can be obtained by it, particularly with the coffee.
However, classic, traditional dripping and filtering brewing systems, such as the use of thermo-type industrial percolators, produce a hot beverage in large quantities that is consumed, in some cases, in small quantities over long periods of time. The earlier prepared beverage remains heating on a burner, which causes the quality and freshness of these beverages to suffer over time. What is needed is a system for providing an end user with the same type of final infusion that can be obtained from large-scale coffee machines having traditional dripping and filtering brewing systems, but is made by the individual serving.
Individual serving beverage container lids are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,866 to Melton discloses a lid for covering an associated beverage container including an infuser unit attached to the underside of the cover piece. In Melton, upon placement of the cover piece onto the opening in the lid, the infuser unit is fully or partially immersed into the liquid in the beverage and brewing of the beverage commences.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,450 to DiGiorgio, Jr., discloses a brewer device for brewing single servings of a beverage, while also functioning as a cup closure lid. The lid of DiGiorgio includes a filter assembly to hold a brew substance, such as coffee grounds. In operation, hot liquid is poured through the top filter and bottom filter of DiGiorgio, contacts the coffee grounds between the filters and exits out of the bottom filter into the cup until the cup is filled the desired amount.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,063 to Vu et al., discloses a beverage brewing system adapted to have a brewing configuration, in which, a brewing chamber has a brewing substance therein, a bottle initially has a fluid therein, a lid is located over a cup, the bottle is removably attached to the lid and located over the lid, the brewing chamber is located between the bottle and the cup, and a blow-out valve is located between the bottle and the brewing chamber so that the blow-out valve initially hinders a flow of the fluid from the bottle to the brewing chamber. In Vu, the blow-out valve is adapted to be breached at a predetermined pressure when the fluid is heated to allow the fluid to pass through the brewing chamber into the cup to form a brewed fluid. The entire system of Vu is designed to be disposable and microwavable.
What is needed is an individual serving beverage container lid wherein the beverage is brewed by a controlled pouring of the hot water onto grounds contained in the lid prior to the liquid being received in the cup. What is additionally needed is an individual serving beverage container lid wherein the hot water is gravity fed in a controlled way from the top of the lid to the bottom of the lid, and into a cup disposed under the lid.